Groovy, moddish, magnificent and sunny girl pop from The Land Of The Rising Sun – pummeling drums, jumping arrangements and groovy vocals from the mid-to-late 60s Japanese scene! This is fantastic stuff, any kitch or novelty appeal you might be expecting is kind of muted by the exceptional quality and excellent performances – but it is flat out fun! As the title states, strains of pop, beat & bossa – plus mod & psychedelic fuzz – and the vocals girl group vocals are bright, rocking, playful or sultry or innocent depending on the groove! 25 tracks in all: "Black Room by Jun Mayuzumi, Sharock No 1" by Mie Nakao, "Nagisa No Tenshi" by Mieko Hirota, "Hatsu Koi No Letter" by Miki Obata, "Bazazz Tengoku" by The Cupids, "Aeba Suki Suki" by Margaret With Bunnys, "Nukui Aitsu" by Mika Nohira, "Kiiro No Sekai" by J Girls and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Fierce funky sounds from Czechoslovakia – all recorded during a time when the nation was going through a huge cultural revolution! It's a well-known fact that the Czech scene of the 60s and 70s was one of the hippest behind the Iron Curtain – but while Czech films and literature gained quite a bit of attention in the western world at the time, most of their music hardly ever had a chance to cross the border – which makes this sweet collection a real musical discovery! The work here all comes from the vaults of Supraphon Records – and many of the groups seem to have a core inspiration in some sort of jazz – either 60s soul jazz, 70s fusion, or some of the jazz-rock modes that were big in the European scene of the time – all of which makes for great grooves throught, no matter what the setting – and some surprisingly strong links to American soul sounds of the 60s, which no doubt made their way to Prague through the UK and German beat groups of the time. The package is overflowing with band names and song titles you'll never be able to pronounce, but the music has a really universal appeal to fans of funk and soul, and maybe freakbeat as well – on titles that include "Zlom Vaz" by Flamingo, "Leto Leto" by Eva Pilarova, "Beat" by Ferdinan Havlik, "I've Never Been So Young" by Karel Gott, "Barbarella" by Waldemar Matuska, "Ja Nechci Mit" by Jitka Zelenkova & The Gondolan Brothers, "Polobotka" by Jazz Cellula, "Yvsoka Hra" by Viktor Sodoma, "Jedeme Dal" by Bezinky, "Nestuj A Pojd" by Golden Kids, and "Kyvadio" by Discobolos. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic collection that looks at the relationship between American soul and reggae in a very unique way – not the early crossovers of soul and rocksteady in the 60s, but a big wave of disco-inspired sounds in the 70s! The set brings together some great Jamaican and British versions of American club tracks from the late 70s and early 80s, plus some soul cuts from earlier years – often done with rhythms that are slower and more bad-stepping, in a true reggae mode – but with songs and lyrics that are lifted right from bit hits by artists like Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, and others! The mix of modes is wonderful – and maybe comes across even better than on some of the Afro disco records of the period – thanks to a great track selection, in the usual Soul Jazz standard. Titles include "I'm Every Woman" by Latisha, "In The Rain" by rRnest Ranglin, "Reggae Beat Goes On" by Family Choice, "Ring My Bell" by Blood Sisters, "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" by Derrick Laro & Trinity, "Do It Nice & Easy" by Chariot Riders, "Don't Let It Go To Your Head" by Black Harmony, "Upside Down" by Carol Cool, "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" by Sharon Forrester, "Rappers Delight" by Xanadu & Sweet Lady, "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" by Risco Connection, "Am I The Same Girl" by Charmaine Burnette, and "Be Thankful For What You Got" by One Blood. (Reggae, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

A great set that moves towards the farther reaches of the Caribbean scene in the 80s – music that's much more underground than some of the bigger soca and tropical hits of the time! As you might expect from the Soundway label, the work here is a very unusual, very well-done presentation of a fresh slice of global music – Caribbean cuts that borrow bits from electro soul, house music, and other styles of the time – and weave the newer elements into island rhythms with a very forward-thinking feel! The tunes are heavy on keyboards and beats, yet still have a indie soul sort of charm – and as usual with Soundway, the whole thing comes with very detailed notes on the music. Most tunes are b-sides, dubs, or edits – and titles include "Last Days" by The Millers, "Wild Indian Band" by Andre Tanker, "Zion Gates (dub)" by Mohjah, "I Want Your Love" by Peter Britto, "Hotter & Hotter (dub edit)" by Juno D, "D'Jab Jab Dance (bad lad mix)" by Colin Jackman, "Fighting Soldier" by Cito Jarvis, "Stand Up & Rock Your Body (inst)" by Roger Bain, "Fire (ext dub edit)" by D Ivan, "Body Beat" by Bill Campbell, and "It's Alright" by Adonijah. (Global Grooves, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

A big collection of underground soul from the American scene of the late 60s – all brought together to show the sorts of grooves that kept on spinning strong all through the 70s, as part of the legendary All-Nighters scene at the UK's Wigan Casino! That bit of history aside, the music is more than great enough on its own – especially if you dig upbeat soul of the less-familiar variety – tracks that are rare, but put together with the same sort of top-shelf quality as the best of Motown or Atlantic Records at the time! Titles include "I Was Born To Love You" by Herbert Hunter, "Night Owl" by Bobby Paris, "What" by Judy Street, "I'm Comin Home In The Mornin" by Lou Pride, "Tear Stained Face" by Don Varner, "She'll Come Running Back" by Mel Britt, "Quick Change Artist" by The Soul Twins, "I Don't Like To Lose" by The Group featuring Cecil Washington, "If It's All The Same To You Babe" by Luther Ingram, "All Of My Life" by Detroit Soul, "Out Of My Mind" by Rain with Charity Brown, "It Hurts Me" by The Majestics, "Backfield In Motion" by Mel & Tim, and "Sidras Theme" by Ronnie & Robyn. (Soul, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album